1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a heat pump heating and cooling system utilizing a heat exchanger disposed exteriorly of a house or building and a heat exchanger located interiorly of a space to be conditioned in which the exterior heat exchanger is exposed to solar energy and in convective airflow heat exchange with exterior ambient conditions and the interior heat exchanger is incorporated into a valance system and includes facilities to provide convective air circulation and remove moisture and thus control the humidity of the air in the conditioned space. The heating and cooling system also includes an operative interconnection with the domestic hot water system for supplying hot water to the house or building so that normally wasted, rejected heat can be used to supply a substantial quantity of hot water and during extemely low ambient exterior temperature conditions, the hot water system may introduce supplemental heat into the system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heat pump heating and cooling systems have been utilized for many years and conventionally employ a heat exchanger mounted exteriorly of the house or building and a heat exchanger mounted interiorly thereof to maintain environmental conditions within the house or building at a comfortable level. Such heat exchangers usually have a blower or fan that is motor driven associated therewith to facilitate heat exchange between the heat exchange medium passing through the heat exchanger and air passing over, around or through the heat exchanger. These structures together with the refrigeration system and thermostatic controls have been employed with reasonable success but require substantial maintenance and are relatively high in initial cost due to the use of various drive motors, fans and other mechanisms. The following U.S. patents relate to this field of endeavor.
______________________________________ 1,838,083 12-29-31 2,845,253 7-29-58 3,563,304 2-16-71 3,582,614 6-1-71 4,030,312 6-21-77 4,070,870 1-31-78 4,202,493 5-13-80 4,330,309 5-18-82 4,336,692 6-29-82 4,366,677 1-4-83 ______________________________________